Bikoosh Pools · guide
How a pick'em pool is scored (NFL playoffs, bowl games, any bracket)
A pick'em pool lists matchups; every entry picks a winner for each one before the first game starts. A correct pick scores the matchup's points (one by default; a host may weight later rounds), and the tie-break is the total points of the final: the closest guess wins the tie.
You can create the pool now and share the link when the game is set. The board stays empty until people join, nothing is charged, and the manage link is yours to keep.
The rules
- The host lists the matchups (home vs away, with the date and the round) and may give later rounds more points.
- Entries pick every matchup and a tie-break number (the final's total points) before the lock.
- The host enters each result as the games finish; the standings update at once.
- Ties: equal points are ranked by the smallest distance from the final's actual total; still equal, they share the place.
Playoffs and brackets
- For a playoff bracket, list the first round and add the next round's matchups as they become known: entries pick each round before it starts, which is how most office brackets avoid the problem of picking teams that never get there.
- For bowl season or a cup, list every game at once with its date.
Running it at work
- One link to join, one link per entry to edit picks until the lock, one board everyone can read.
- Bikoosh Pools never collects, holds or pays out money and never sets stakes: it keeps the grid, the picks and the standings for people who already know each other. Whether a pool carries any stake, and whether that is allowed where you are, is the host's responsibility.
Start a pick'em pool What Bikoosh Pools does
Quick answers
How do you score a pick'em pool?
One point per correct pick by default; a host may give a later round more points. The tie-break is the total points scored in the final: the entry closest to the actual total wins a tie.
When do picks lock in a pick'em pool?
When the host locks the pool, normally just before the first game; after that no pick changes and the host enters results as they come.
What is the difference between a pick'em and a bracket?
A bracket asks for every round in advance and the later picks can die with an early upset; a pick'em lists each round's real matchups as they become known, so every pick is between the two teams actually playing.
Other guides: How Super Bowl squares work (and how to run a grid at the office) · How to split a squares pool payout (the common structures) · How squares numbers are drawn, and why the draw comes after the lock · Which squares numbers win most often, and why it does not matter before the draw · Pick'em tiebreaker rules that actually settle a tie · Confidence pools and weighted pick'em: how to make later rounds count more · Survivor pool rules (last one standing), written down · March Madness office pool: bracket or pick'em, and how to run it by round · Is an office pool legal? What it depends on · Squares for any game: college football, the World Cup final, the Grey Cup, a cup final · How many people do you need for a squares pool · Running an office pool for a remote or hybrid team · Office pool rules: what to write down before the first game
Bikoosh Pools is an independent tool, not affiliated with any league, team or broadcaster; team and event names are used to describe the game being followed. Bikoosh Pools never collects, holds or pays out money and never sets stakes: it keeps the grid, the picks and the standings for people who already know each other. Whether a pool carries any stake, and whether that is allowed where you are, is the host's responsibility.